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The algors did not hear the full question and the elf was forced to shout
it in repetition. Upon finally understanding, the algors simply shook their
heads in denial.
Holli took a long moment to size up their new adversary. She sought
weaknesses to be exploited, but found only the lack of true speed. Otherwise,
the sand giant appeared invulnerable. Her analysis was cut short by the swift
turn of the elder dwarf.
"Bah, this is madness," Tun mumbled in an ordinary voice and was thus not
heard by those that stood about him. He set off toward the sand giant with
haste in his step.
His sudden decision caught the others off guard. They watched first in
confusion, then in dismay as the prince stormed forward down the tier.
Holli, Lief and Jon called for Tun to stop. If he heard them, he ignored
them. His intentions became clear as he unhitched the maul from his belt.
"No!" Jon screamed and broke into a charge to halt his brother.
Holli and Lief followed almost immediately. Their great speed pressed
them quickly beyond Jon, but as if in response, Tun fell into a gallop of his
own. It became all too evident that they would not reach him in time.
Tun's eyes narrowed, his brow knitted. He brought his arms back, both
hands tightly gripping the handle of his maul. The sharpened edge pointed at
the giant. His mouth opened wide with a yell that actually surpassed the
volume of the sphere's hum.
The war cry surprised Ryson, who leapt clear of the onrushing dwarf. It
was too late for him to intervene as he identified Tun's body leaping through
the air. He stood well out of reach as the metal blade of the dwarf weapon
swung violently through the air. It crashed into the sand giant with enough
force to crumble a brick wall, with enough power to actually cause a fissure
in the giant's chest, but not with enough might to vanquish the sentinel.
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The weapon imbedded itself in the very center of the giant and Tun held
to it with the same ferocity in which he swung. His feet dangled from the
ground, levitated by his hold on the axe and the sand giant's height. He
pulled to free his weapon, but with no footholds, he lacked the leverage. He
swung both legs forward and upward and actually drove the soles of his boots
into the chest of the sentinel. He crouched into a ball, planted firmly upon
the midsection of the sand giant. He pressed down hard with his feet as he
pulled upon the weapon. Slowly, grudgingly, it loosened. He rocked back and
forth, pushing and pulling, pressing and yanking. The blade moved back and
forth, more of the blade worked free, but still it remained imbedded in the
sandstone.
The giant suffered no pain, not from the strike and not from Tun's
efforts to rock the blade free. Its blank eyes fell upon the dwarf as if Tun
were nothing more than a fly buzzing around its head. Almost defying the
dwarf's existence, the giant remained more watchful of the delver. Its focus
quickly left the dwarf and again seized Ryson. The delver did not move.
Others, however, were rushing forward. The sand giant swerved about to
meet them. More intruders were progressing down the tier and threatening to
pass. The sentinel could not have this and it moved to intercept. It took a
path which would set itself to meet the onrushing pack while maintaining a
presence between the delver and the far end of the tier. It ignored Tun even
as the dwarf continued his attempt to free his blade.
With the sand giant's altered movements, the elves came to a halt. They
held their bows, though they knew the weapon was useless. Further, with Tun
still attached to its chest, it made the use of arrows more dangerous than
beneficial. Holli yelled over the continuing crescendo for Lief to spread
apart. They sidestepped in opposite directions just as Jon reached them.
The younger dwarf pulled to a halt, his mace still in his belt. He stared
at the spectacle of Tun upon the giant's chest. He could not withhold his
alarm and for one of the very few times in his life, he yelled an order to his
older brother. "Tun, let go of the maul!"
Tun simply growled a refusal.
"Don't be a fool!" Jon persisted.
The remark brought Tun's wrath. He yelled with enough anger to be heard
by all. "The giant must be destroyed! It breaks beneath the blade. It will
crumble upon my next swing. I will use the sledge."
As if to exclaim his point, the blade broke free of the giant's hide.
With the weapon clear and nothing to hold his weight, Tun tumbled backward to
the ground. The momentum of his fall sent him several paces away from the
giant. He hit the ground in a tangled, uncoordinated heap, but struck to his
feet as the tumble caused him no harm or injury.
He twirled the maul in his hands and now allowed the blunt end to face
menacingly toward the giant. He would not repeat his mistake. The back end of
the maul, shaped like a sledge hammer, would not imbed itself into the giant
like the axe head. It would pulverize the sentinel.
Again, the dwarf charged the sand giant. Again, he pulled back his arms
ready to lend a powerful swing to the momentum of his onslaught. The heavy
head of the maul crashed upon the giant's hip, sending fragments of sandstone
in every direction. The sledge broke clear of the giant, leaving a gash the
size of Tun's head behind, just above the sentinel's left leg.
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The giant shook from the blow. Its feet stayed firmly planted, but the
loss of so much of its form left it somewhat off balance. The injury caused it
no pain. It did not even examine the crater left in its hip. There was no loss
of blood, no damage to the muscle, for the giant had neither. It was comprised
entirely of stone, and the gash proved that point.
The blow, other than weakening the sentinel's equilibrium, caused one
other significant reaction. The sand giant reassessed its evaluation of the
dwarf as a threat. While it had no concept of self-preservation, it understood
if it was destroyed, it could not protect the passage to the next tier. Such
was its awareness that it decided to end the life of the dwarf.
With swiftness diametrically opposed to its makeup of stone, it plucked
Tun from the ground. The dwarf still held his weapon, even managed to haul his
arms back for another strike, but such was no concern of the sentinel's. With
both of its hands firmly holding the dwarf just above the waist, it squeezed
as it brought its hands together. Tun would not scream, but a nauseating pop
echoed through the tier and signaled his end. The giant discarded the dwarf
like a sack of rotten fruit.
Tun was tossed several paces and hit the ground with rolling momentum.
The rattle of his bones could not overcome the sound of the low groan emitted
by the sphere, but those that watched witnessed the crumpled, disjointed
gyrations of his body. Tun never felt the snapping of his bones, the breaking
of his legs and arms, for he was already dead.
Jon, and now even the algors, rushed to the fallen dwarf. As Jon checked
for signs of life, the algors attempted to spread their healing power over
their fallen comrade. To no avail, the power of the algor was to heal not to
restore life.
Holli, Lief and Ryson found no time to check upon Tun's condition. The
attack upon the dwarf filled each with rage. Holli and Lief again fired
arrows, choosing the eyes of the giant as their aim. Each struck the intended
target, but the eyes were made of stone just as the rest of it. The arrows
bounced away leaving no damage.
Ryson held tightly to the handle of his sword. He rushed forward,
zigzagging in a swarm of motion and speed. He drove around the sentinel, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]